Monday, May 26, 2008
The Bellrays
I've only seen The Bellrays once - opening for The Pixies a couple summers ago. I remember being completely uninterested, but I couldn't avoid hearing them while sitting in 9:32, waiting for Bloc Party to come on next. Their sound kept pulling me in, until Dinger and I were finally standing on the hill outside the bar, totally getting into their sound. It's an old-school soul sound, but on top of a really hard rock band. By the end, we were dancing and cheering as loud as anyone else.
The Black Cat describes them like this:
The Bellrays might just be the best rock'n'soul band out there. And their secret weapon is Lisa Kekaula, a lead singer whose voice and stage presence occupies a middle ground between Tina Turner and Poly Styrene. As The Bellrays themselves like to say, "Blues are the teacher, Punk is the preacher.
I think the Poly Styrene comparison is a little steep, but not too far-off. I think it's more like Tina Turner fronting the MC5.
Much to my surprise they're playing the BackStage at The Black Cat on Tuesday. I was on the fence about this one, with the holiday and all. But after looking at a few YouTube clips, I'm all over it. I ran out and got my ticket this afternoon, just to make sure I don't bail at the last minute. This show is going to kick some serious ass. If you don't believe me, just watch the "Highway To Hell" clip starting at about 1:30. So awesome.
"Detroit Breakdown"
Covering AC/DC's "Highway To Hell"
The Black Cat describes them like this:
The Bellrays might just be the best rock'n'soul band out there. And their secret weapon is Lisa Kekaula, a lead singer whose voice and stage presence occupies a middle ground between Tina Turner and Poly Styrene. As The Bellrays themselves like to say, "Blues are the teacher, Punk is the preacher.
I think the Poly Styrene comparison is a little steep, but not too far-off. I think it's more like Tina Turner fronting the MC5.
Much to my surprise they're playing the BackStage at The Black Cat on Tuesday. I was on the fence about this one, with the holiday and all. But after looking at a few YouTube clips, I'm all over it. I ran out and got my ticket this afternoon, just to make sure I don't bail at the last minute. This show is going to kick some serious ass. If you don't believe me, just watch the "Highway To Hell" clip starting at about 1:30. So awesome.
"Detroit Breakdown"
Covering AC/DC's "Highway To Hell"
